Reinforcing element



Nov. 22, 1960 Filed March 25, 1959 A. J. LUKES REINFORCING ELEMENT 2Sheets-Sheet 1 NOV. 22, 1960 J LUKES 2,961,141

REINFORCING ELEMENT Filed March 25, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

@zfimyfma (55/524.

Patented Nov. 22, 1960 Ere REINFORCING ELEMENT Anthony James Lukes,Morton Grove, 11]., assignor to Felt Products Manufacturing Company,Skokie, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Mar. 25, 1959, Ser. No.801,830

1 Claim. (Cl. 229-14) This invention relates to a reinforcing elementand more particularly to a device for maintaining a plurality ofsimilarly constructed articles in coincidental stacked relationshipwithin a receptacle, the volume capacity of the receptacle beingsubstantially greater than the volume of the stacked articles. Thisinvention may also be utilized to maintain the central configuration ofan individual hollow article.

Although this invention may be described herein for use with a pluralityof resilient peripheral gaskets, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to such use but may be advantageously used witharticles having a wide variety of shapes and packaging characteristics.

In packaging resilient peripheral gaskets for shipment, difficulty hasheretofore been encountered in maintaining the coincident stackedrelationship thereof. This difficulty is attributable to the lack ofcentral supporting structure in the article. Although the box orreceptacle in which the gaskets are packaged may quite satisfactorilyconform to the exterior dimensions of the gasket, the latter, by virtueof their configuration and material, are resilient, pliable, and easilydeformed. Unless the gaskets in some way are properly maintained inposition, damage thereto during shipping is common.

Various attempts have been made to reinforce the center of the gasketduring shipment. None have proved successful or desirable. One suchreinforcing method which has been practiced is the taping of the stackedgaskets together along their sides. This procedure, however, is awkward,time-consuming, and somewhat expensive. It does not readily lend itselfto mass production and rapid, assembly line techniques. In addition,once the tape is broken to remove one of the gaskets, the remaininggaskets are free to deform and entangle in the box, with the substantialpossibility of ultimate damage to one or more of these gaskets. As aresult, gaskets which have been packed in this manner often may beremoved from their shipping receptacle by the user and placed on apermanent rack which is capable of maintaining the proper stacking andarrangement.

It is, therefore, one object of this invention to provide a reinforcingelement which is resilient and which will firmly support the stack ofgaskets to maintain the coincident relationship thereof during shipping.

It is another object of this invention to provide a resilientreinforcing element which may be utilized to maintain the orderedrelationship of stacked gaskets even after one or more of the gasketshas been removed from the original shipping container.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a resilientreinforcing element which is capable of assuming a number of variedconfigurations.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a resilientreinforcing element which is entirely preassembled and does not have tobe attached to the receptacle with which it is used. c

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a neat,versatile and resilient reinforcing element which is capable of assuminga number of varied configurations and which may be quickly and easilyemployed.

It is another object of this invention to provide a resilient, versatilereinforcing element which may be stored in a flatly collapsed form andwhich may be expanded into any one of a number of varied configurations.

Other objects may be seen, and a fuller understanding of the inventionmay be had by referring to the following description and claims taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The device constructed in accordance with this inven-' tion isparticularly useful or resiliently retaining the predetermined shape ofthe pliable interior surface of a gasket or other such article which ispacked by itself .or with other similarly constructed articles in areceptacle or shipping container. According to one embodiment of thisinvention, this device comprises a plurality of elongated sectionsformed of corrugated board material. The corrugations of each sectionextend substantially longitudinally in each section and the end limitsof the sections are interconnected to form a polygon of predeterminedconfiguration. At least one of the sections is scored along an axisintermediate the end limits of the section and angularly disposedrelative to the longitudinal axis of the section. This section is thusresiliently foldable about this intermediate axis. The dimensions of thepolygon thus formed are such that the device may be operativelypositioned with respect to the receptacle and the element or elementsbeing reinforced only when said one section is in resilient folded andslightly compressed condition.

It is preferred that two of the end-limit connections occur atdiametrically opposite points of the polygon so that the device may befolded flatly for storage. In such a flatly folded condition, the deviceoccupies very little space and, therefore, a great many devices may bepreformed and stored until ready for use, whereupon they may be easilyexpanded and placed in position. This permits the preformed device to beused with great ad vantage in mass production on a rapidly movingassembly line.

In the drawings, in which like parts are given like identifying numbers:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a device constructed in accordance withthis invention, showing the relationship between this device, thestacked articles, and the shipping container;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the device removed from the containerand stacked articles;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device collapsed for storage andillustrates in dotted lines the manner in which the device may beexpanded for use as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the deviceillustrating the manner in which the sections may be scored tofacilitate transverse folding;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the device illustrating a modifiedconfiguration into which it may be formed;

Fig. 6 is a view of another configuration which may be formed with thedevice;

Fig. 7 is still another configuration which may be formed with thedevice;

Fig. 8 illustratesa further configuration which may be formed with thedevice;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the device constructed in accordancewith this invention, illustrating a modified manner of folding; and iFig. 10 is an enlarged view of a portion of the device illustrated inFig. 9, showing the manner in which the sections are scored tofacilitate transverse folding.

With more particular reference to Fig. 1, a plurality of annularperipheral gaskets 10 are shown arranged in coincidental stackedrelationship within a box-like container,

or receptacle 12. These gaskets may be of any one of a number ofdifferent sizes and shapes. In most instances, these gaskets willconform satisfactorily to the container in which they are placed; thatis, the interior dimensions of the container will generally be the sameas. the. exterior dimensions of the article, but the shapes of the twomay differ. Even a circular gasket will be engaged on four points alongits periphery by the container in which the gasket is shipped. In theillustration, elliptical gaskets are engaged along a substantial portionof their periphery by the Walls of container 12. Inasmuch as the gasketshave no centralsupporting structure and inasmuch as these gaskets mustnecessarily be, constructed of a resilient pliable material, they arevery difficult to maintain in their stacked coincident relationship.This is particularly true during the shipment of these articles when thecontainer is often subjected to much abuse. The reinforcing element 14constructed in accordance with this invention is adapted to engage theinterior portions of gaskets 10 and to resiliently reinforce the gasketstructure, thereby maintaining the coincident stacking thereof.

Reinforcing element 14 is preferably constructed of an elongate strip ofdouble faced fiberboard having a corrugated or ribbed interlay. The endportions 16 and 18 of the reinforcing element are lapped and adhesivelyjoined. Between end portions 16 and 18, the fiberboard strip istransversely scored or the longitudinal ribbing thereof is otherwiseinterrupted to facilitate the folding thereof to form the corners of apolygon.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, reinforcing element14 is folded transversely in four places, 20, 22, 24 and 26, to form arectangle having side sections 28, 30, 32 and 34. Although the sectionsof the illustrated polygon are integral and part of a single elongatestrip, as previously indicated, it is evident that separate sections maybe interconnected at their end limits to form the desired polygon. Thecorrugations in each section, 28, 30, 32 and 34, extend substantiallyparallel to the longitudinal axis of the section.

At least one of the sections is scored between its terminal endsalong atransverse line. In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3,section 30 is centrally scored 'or the longitudinal ribbing is otherwiseinterrupted along transverse line 30a to provide a guide along which thesection may be folded. Section 34, which is diametrically oppositesection 30, is also provided with a scored guide or fold :line 34aintermediate its terminal ends. Guide lines 30a and 34aare centrallydisposed across their respective sections and lie perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of their respective sections.

Asmay be seen in Figure 4, the scoring is accomplished by impressing achannelinto only one face or lamination of the fiberboard to slightlycompress and interrupt the longitudinally extending corrugated interlayor ribbing in that section. The longitudinal ribbing and the oppositeface or lamination, the latter being unscored, resist bending of thematerial in a transverse direction. The scoring assures that thecorrugated board may be folded along a predetermined line transverse tothe corrugations. This forms a line of weakness across 'the corrugationsand, when abending force is applied to the section, bending will occuronly along this line. If there were no scoring, it would bequitedifiicult to accuratelyfoldthe material along the desired line. v

Whenthe-sections 30 and 34 are folded inwardly about their transverseintermediate guidelines 30a and 34a, a configuration'such as illustratedin the Figures 1 and 2 is formed. In these figures, the reinforcingelement is somewhat compressed and is exerting' a resistive forcetransverse-to'theplanes'ofsections '28,and 32. This resistive force isprincip'ally dueito theintermediate folding. of sections 30 and 34. .Itwill be understood that "when corrugated fiberboard is scored and folded"trans- 'versely with respect to the corrugations, the material offersa'resilient resistance to this folding due to the plaeforces which itmay encounter in service.

ing of certain portions of the material under tension while placingcertain other portions of the material under compression. Inasmuch asthe two facing layers of the fiberboard are separated by a corrugatedinterlay, whenever the material is transversely folded, the exteriorsurface and the interior surface are respectively placed under tensionand compression. The amount of tension and compression is determined andsubstantially augmented by the spacing between the two faces as a resultof the corrugated interlay. The corrugated interlay also resilientlyresists the tendency of the two faces to move toward each other in theareas adjacent the transverse fold.v Thus, when the reinforcing elementis folded and com-- pressed, it exerts a substantial resistive force.This re-- sistive force is sufficient to, for example, maintaintheperipheral gaskets 10 in their stacked coincidental relationshipduring shipping and during such time as the gaskets are being separatelyunstacked.

' As illustrated in'Figure 1, one longitudinal edge of each of thepolygon sections contacts and rests upon the bottom or base 12a ofreceptacle 12, and the sections extend upright from base 12a such thatthe other longitudinal edge of each section is substantially flush withthe top edges of the receptacle. Thus, when th receptacle is closed byapplying a top cover (not shown), the element 14 will reinforce the topand bottom panels of the closed receptacle. This feature is also veryimportant, for when a plurality of these receptacles are stacked as theyoften are during shipment and storage, there must be a uniform supportover the entire top and bottom surfaces of each box. The gaskets byvirtue of their shape and material cannot supply this firm uniformsupport.

As may be seen in Figure '3, reinforcing element 14 may be initiallyfolded flat. This permits a number of the reinforcing elements to bepreformed and prefabricated, for after they are formed, they may beeasily stored until ready for use. Thereafter, when the device is neededfor packing an article or articles, it may be removed from its storagecontainer, expanded, partially compressed, and inserted in place. Noassembly is necessary and no delay is encountered. In order to achievethe flat folding characteristic, folds are provided at diametricallyopposite points of the polygon. In the illustrated embodiment, theelement is folded flatly at corner connections 22 and 26 as illustratedin Figure 3, and in this condition may be easily stored and occupiesvery little space. The flattened element may be expanded, as shown indotted lines in Figure 3, into its stressed condition, whereupon it isready for insertion centrally in the stack of gaskets. The folding ofthe element into its flattened state, as shown in Figure 3, aboutconnections 22 and 26 may render these connections somewhat lessresistive to the compressive It is therefore preferred that none of theother folds be compressed or tightly (obliquely) folded until the deviceis ready for use, although such prestressing will not render the deviceuseless nor under most circumstances will it materially detract from itseffectiveness in providing reinforcement. The springiness 'is, however,greater'in the material if it has not been previously overstressed.

A number of other polygonal configurations may be formed with thereinforcing element constructed in accordance twiththis invention. Ineach of these alternative shapes. at least one of the sections formingthe polygon isjfol'dedintermediate its end limits about a transverseaxis. Thus, in every case.'the resistance to stressingor,compressing isattributableto theresistance of at least three folds, the two foldswhich connect one of the sections to its adjacent sections andthe-intermediate fold inthat section. .In the case of the embodimentillustrated in Figures .1, 2 and3, the compressive resistance. iscontributedby the resistance to folding in corner connections 22 and 24as well asintermediate fold 30a in section 30. This resistancejs also,balanced and aided on the opposite side of the polygon by the resistanceof the material to be folded at corner connections 20 and 26 as well asalong intermediate fold line 34a in section 34.

In Figure 5, the polygon formed is a triangle having three sides, 28, 30and 32, connected at corner folds 20, 22 and 24. The sides are foldedabout intermediate transverse axes, 28a, 30a and 32a, respectively.Thus, the compression of the polygon illustrated in Figure 5 is resistedby the aforementioned corner folds 20, 22 and 24, as well asintermediate folds 28a, 30a and 32a. The polygon is initially flatlyfolded for storage about corner fold 22 and intermediate fold 32a. Thus,these two folds will be prestressed, although fold 32 will beprestressed outwardly in the opposite direction, which should notadversely affect its compressive resistance in the expandedconfiguration.

Figure 6 is another configuration into which the element may be formed.This configuration is also a triangle having sides 28, 30 and 32, andcorner fold connections 20, 22 and 24. In this case, only section 32 isfolded transversely intermediate its terminal ends about axis 32a. Thisconfiguration is also initially flattened for storage, the outward foldsbeing at 22 and along axis 32a. The outward folding of section 32 aboutaxis 32a should not adversely affect to a marked degree the compressiveresistance of fold 32a when section 32 is folded inwardly for use.

In Figure 7, another modified form, or polygon, is illustrated. Thispolygon is a trapezoid having a top section 28, a bottom section 32, andside sections 30 and 34. These sections are connected at their endlimits to form corner folds 20, 22, 24 and 26. Side sections 30 and 34are folded inwardly about transverse axes 30a and 34a, respectively,intermediate their end limits. One significant difference between thedevice formed in Figure 7 and the device illustrated in Figure 2 is thatin the latter the intermediate folds 30a and 3411 are not centrallydisposed across their respective sections 30 and 34 but rather aredisposed closer to section 28. It is evident, therefore, that not onlywill there be compressive resistance through the corner connections andintermediate folds but, also, this compressive resistance will betransmitted to section 28 by virtue of the off-center disposition ofintermediate axes 30a and 34a. By way of illustration, if a compressiveforce is applied perpendicular to the plane of section 28, in thedirection indicated by the arrow. the polygon will tend to fold inwardlyabout intermediate folds 30a and 34a. It is apparent, though, that thisforce will have less effect in folding the polygon about corner folds 24and 26, inasmuch as the portions of sections 30 and 34 between basesection 32 and intermediate folds 30a and 340, respectively, arepractically in line with the force being applied; i.e., the angle atcorner 24 and corner 26 is very large, and the resistance met in thisinstance is a resistance to axial compression in those portions ofsections 30 and 34 adjacent base section 32. This greatly augments thefolding resistance offered to the applied compressive force by thecorner and intermediate folds.

In Figure 8, the original configuration formed by the element is asquare or rectangle having sides 28, 30, 32 and 34. and being connectedand hinged along corner folds 20, 22, 24 and 26. The major differencebetween this configuration and the configuration illustrated in Figures1, 2 and 3 is that all four of the side sections are scored andcentrally folded transversely on lines 28a, 30a. 32a and 34a.

Figure 9 illustrates an alternative method of folding which greatlyincreases the compressive resistance of the expanded element. Theillustrated element is a rectangle having side sections 28, 30, 32 and34, which side sections are interconnected at their end points to formcorner folds 20, 22, 24 and 26. As in the case of the configurationillustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, side sections 30 and 34 aretransversely scored and foldable about a central axis. It is to benoted, however, that the scoring in each of the two sections is notperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the section but, rather, isobliquely disposed or canted with respect thereto. Also, it is to benoted that the two axes are skew and disposed obliquely with respect toeach other. Thus, a compressive force acting perpendicular to the planeof section 28, in the direction of the arrow, will cause folding of thepolygon somewhat as described in connection with Figure 2. However,intermediate fold axis 38a is not parallel with corner-connecting folds22 and 24, and central fold 34a is not parallel to corner-connectingfolds 20 and 26. It is therefore apparent that a substantial resistanceto the inward folding of side sections 30 and 34 is encountered. for thesections cannot be folded in this manner without some resilientdeformation occurring at one or more of the folds. The resistance of thecorrugated fiberboard to such resilient deformation increases thecompressive resistance of the polygon.

In Figure 10, the method of scoring the two side sections is shown. Thisscoring is similar to the scoring described in connection with Figure 4,but rather than extending perpendicular to the axis of the section, itis disposed at some other transverse angle. It will be understood thatthis angular scoring may be utilized in each of the configurationspreviously described wherein the intermediate fold lines wereperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the section.

It may be seen that a reinforcing structure constructed in accordancewith this invention is resilient, neat, and easily used. The device iscapable of assuming a number of varied configurations and is collapsiblefor easy storage.

Although I have described my invention with a certain degree ofparticularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has beenmade only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details ofconstruction and the combination and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of theinvention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

A package comprising a boxlike container, a plurality of pliableelements arranged in stacked substantially coincident relation withinsaid container, each of said elements being of an endless continuousloop of predetermined configuration, said stacked elements being incontact with side walls of said container, and expander means positionedwithin the loop of said stacked elements; said means including anelongated fiat strip of resilient bendable material, the ends of saidstrip being interconnected, said strip having a width substantially theheight of said stacked elements and having at least four transverse foldlines defining a polygonal configuration having inner and outer folds,said means being collapsed under stress and positioned within the stackof elements and resiliently contacting substantially opposed innersurfaces of said stacked elements whereby said stacked elements are heldin substantially coincident relation within said container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,821,692 Copeland Sept. 1, 1931 1,958,257 Addis et al May 8, I9341.996.453 Brock Apr. 2, 1935 2,160,221 Masters et al. Mar, 30, 1939

